Multiple postal services across Europe announced on Saturday their decision to suspend the shipment of various packages to the United States due to uncertainty surrounding new import duties that are set to take effect soon.
This suspension affects postal services in Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Italy, with immediate halting of most merchandise shipping to the U.S.
France and Austria are expected to follow suit on Monday, while the United Kingdom will cease these shipments starting Tuesday.
India’s government also confirmed that it would temporarily suspend postal deliveries to the United States beginning Monday, although letters, documents, and gift items valued under $100 will still be allowed.
This abrupt change comes in the wake of a decree signed by President Donald Trump last month, which outlines that international goods valued below $800, previously exempt from U.S. tariffs, will now incur import duties starting August 29.
Certain items, such as letters, books, gifts, and small parcels worth less than $100 will continue to be exempt from these new tariffs.
A recent trade framework between the U.S. and the European Union stipulated a 15% tariff on most products being shipped from the EU.
European postal services have expressed concerns about their ability to deliver packages before the August 29 deadline, citing confusion regarding what goods are impacted by the new regulations, and the insufficient time to address these implications.
Starting immediately, Deutsche Post and DHL Parcel Germany announced they could no longer accept or transport parcels and postal items containing goods from business customers destined for the United States.
In a statement, DHL, the largest shipping provider in Europe, mentioned that significant questions remain unanswered, particularly regarding the collection of customs duties, the additional data required, and how this data will be relayed to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Postnord, a Nordic logistics company, and Poste Italiane from Italy have implemented similar pauses in their operations.
Poste Italiane stated that, barring any new instructions from U.S. authorities, it would have to temporarily suspend accepting all shipments containing goods intended for the U.S. effective August 23.
However, mail shipments that do not include merchandise will still be processed.
In a note on the operational changes, Björn Bergman, head of PostNord’s Group Brand and Communication, commented that the pause is regrettable but vital to ensure compliance with the newly enacted rules.
In the Netherlands, PostNL spokesperson Wout Witteveen mentioned that the Trump administration is proceeding with the new duties, even though U.S. authorities do not yet have a system in place to collect them.
Witteveen advised that if someone has items to send to America, they should do so immediately.
On the Indian front, the communications ministry indicated that the executive order from last month mandates that transport carriers or other designated parties approved by U.S. authorities must collect and pay the tariff duties.
However, numerous essential processes regarding the designation of these ‘qualified parties’ and the mechanisms for collecting and remitting duties are still undefined.
As a result, air carriers bound for the U.S. have stated their inability to accept postal consignments after August 25 due to a lack of operational and technical readiness.
Austrian Post, which is the principal logistics and postal service provider in Austria, announced that it would cease accepting commercial shipments to the U.S., including Puerto Rico, starting Tuesday.
La Poste, France’s national postal service, echoed the sentiment by stating that the U.S. authorities did not provide full details or adequate time for French postal operators to adapt to the new customs procedures.
Despite ongoing discussions with U.S. customs services, French postal operators were not given sufficient time to reorganize and update necessary software for compliance.
The United Kingdom’s Royal Mail also declared that it would halt shipments to the U.S. on the upcoming Tuesday, aiming to allow packages to reach their destination before the duties are enforced.
Without a prompt resolution by August 29, PostEurop, an association of 51 European public postal operators, suggested that all its members would likely adopt similar halt measures.
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